


Daughter of Rome

by paragonbrosca



Series: Daughters of War [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, non-canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-23
Updated: 2014-11-05
Packaged: 2018-02-05 22:58:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1835329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paragonbrosca/pseuds/paragonbrosca
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reyna wakes up on a bus full of unfamiliar teenagers (including a pair who claim to be her girlfriend and best friend), with one blurry memory - an argument and a pair of electric blue eyes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reyna

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to books4belle for inspiring me to write this and helping me find the confidence to post it!

The last thing she remembered was an argument. She wasn't sure who she'd been arguing with, or what their disagreement was about. All she knew was that her unknown opponent had the brightest blue eyes she'd ever seen. Not that that was saying much, as she couldn't even remember the color of her own eyes. For all she knew, they were her eyes and she'd just been very angry with her reflection.

The first thing she registered about her new surroundings was the smell. If she'd had to guess at her location, her first thought would have been “inside a metal box, into which someone shoved their sweaty gym socks, several peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a can of gasoline, and a few farm animals”. As it turned out, she wouldn't have been too far off. She opened her eyes (whatever color they were) and found herself in the back row of a very old, very smelly school bus.

“Reyna? Are you okay?” The girl sitting fixed her with a concerned look, and reached over to take her hand.

Startled, Reyna yanked her arm away from the other girl, pressing her back to the window. “Excuse me, do I know you?”

The girl stared at her, confusion evident in her deep brown eyes (which Reyna was sure had been green just seconds before). “If that's a joke, it isn't very funny.”

A boy's head popped over the back of the seat in front of them. “A joke? Ooo, now we know something's wrong.”

Reyna's seatmate turned to glare at the boy. “Shut up, Leo.”

Leo addressed Reyna as if he hadn't heard a word, his curly black hair bouncing with the motion of the bus. “Piper's right, it wasn't very funny, but don't worry! Everyone has to start somewhere and seeing as you've never told a joke before in your life I think we can...ow, Piper, let go!”

The girl – Piper – had seized Leo by one of his pointed ears and was tugging his head backwards so that he had to lean over the back of the seat, arms flailing in an attempt to remain upright.

Reyna gave them the best glare she could muster, given her state of extreme confusion. “Look, it wasn't a joke, alright? I have no idea who you are, either of you.”

Piper let go of Leo's ear, and the boy lost his balance and tumbled over the seat, into Reyna's lap. His sharp elbow jabbed her in the stomach, and she let out an unwilling yelp. Piper, who'd gotten an accidental smack in the face, shouted “Leo!” and made a renewed assault on the boy's earlobe.

“THE COW SAYS MOO!”

Everyone froze, and Reyna straightened up in her seat, stretching to look for the source of this odd declaration. Her gaze fell on a very short man with a humorously perplexed expression on his round face. He wore a jersey and a baseball cap, and was holding an alarmingly red megaphone nearly the size of his torso. After a moment of stillness, the man raised his megaphone to his lips and tried to speak again. Instead of words, the the megaphone let out a loud, rude noise.

The bubble of silence was broken by a chorus of laughter from the teenage occupants of the bus, led by none other than the increasingly irritating boy in Reyna's lap.

Piper stared at him, her mouth hanging open. “Leo, how did you...”

He gave her an impish grin, and produced a small screwdriver from one of his many pockets.

“VALDEZ!” The man with the megaphone had abandoned the megaphone in favor of shouting with all the power he could draw from his barrel chest, going quite red in the face.

“Uh oh.” Leo slid off of Reyna – finally – and onto the floor of the bus. “Coach has it out for me”, he whispered as he tried to hide behind the girls' legs.

“And I suppose that has nothing to do with the fact that it actually is your fault?” Piper hissed at him.

The coach marched up to the back row and fixed all three occupants with a glare that might have been threatening if he'd been about two feet taller and not looked like an angry garden gnome.

“Hiding him, are you?” He shouted, despite the fact that he was less than two feet away from them and Leo was not even remotely hidden. “Clean-up duty! All three of you! And Valdez, FIND YOUR OWN SEAT!”

Before he walked away, he gave Reyna a curious, appraising look that made her feel slightly like a suspect in a police line-up. She had no time to ponder this new development, because as soon as the coach's back was turned, Leo began the process of extracting himself from the tiny space between the girls' legs and the seat in front of them. As he emerged, a large, muscular boy across the aisle muttered something about that being “the closest Leo would ever get to a girl”, much to the delight of the students around him. Leo crossed his eyes, stuck out his tongue, and jammed himself onto the bus seat between Reyna and Piper.

“Well”, he sighed, looking from one girl to the other, “that was exciting.”

Reyna stared at her companions in shock. “I have no idea who you people are.”

Leo and Piper glanced at each other. “Uh, Pipes? I don't think she's joking.”

Piper leaned around Leo and fixed Reyna with a serious, concerned expression. Reyna found she had trouble meeting the other girl's eyes, which were now shifting from green to blue and back to brown again. She had choppy hair that looked like she'd cut it herself, and several chocolate-brown braids hanging in her face. She made a gesture as if she'd been about to reach out for Reyna again, but then changed her mind at the last minute and tucked her hand into her lap. “Maybe you have a concussion. Did you hit your head?”

“Piper” Leo hissed, “How would she know that? She doesn't even remember her best friends in the whole world!”

Piper rolled her eyes at him, but Reyna nodded. “He's right. I don't remember anything that happened before a few minutes ago. I don't think I'd have even known my name if you hadn't said it, Piper.”

The girl looked like she was about to cry. “Something must have happened to you, Reyna. We have to tell someone, get you to a hospital...”

“Oh and are we going to tell? Coach Hedge? He'll hit Reyna with a baseball bat until she feels better!” Leo protested.

Something told Reyna that talking to the Coach would be a bad idea. No matter what Piper and Leo thought, Reyna was sure that she'd never met anyone on this school bus before in her life, and until she figured out what was going on, drawing attention to herself would be a tactical error. “How about we start with who you are and where we're going? Maybe something will jog my memory.”

She didn't really believe that, but it couldn't hurt to gather some information about the situation, and she sensed that Piper and Leo were her best bet for allies. Leo looked visibly relieved and like he was about to launch into a feature-length explanation at any minute, but Piper seemed more skeptical.

“I don't know, Reyna. Something could be seriously wrong. You need to see a doctor, go to the hospital...do something besides talking to us.” The sincerity in Piper's voice was touching, and something in her tone made Reyna wonder exactly what sort of relationship the other girl believed they had.

“Well”, Leo broke in, “We aren't going to be able to do anything until the bus stops, so we might as well give Reyna an amnesiac's crash course.”

“That sounds good,” Reyna agreed, “and Piper, I promise that when we get to...wherever we're going, I'll get to a hospital as soon as possible.”

Piper nodded, and Leo beamed. “Great! Okay, so the three of us are friends – best friends, actually, although you and Piper are a little more than friends lately – and we go to Wilderness School, for” he paused, and sketched exaggerated quotation marks in the air “troubled children.”

Reyna was still caught on the “more than friends” part of his explanation. She glanced around him at Piper, whose face had turned a remarkable shade of pink. Now Reyna was positive she'd never met either of the pair before today. There was no way she would have forgotten going out with someone like Piper. She stared at the other girl for a moment, feeling heat rise to her face. Suddenly, her mouth felt dry and her hands shook a little in her lap. Piper held her gaze, cheeks still burning, and bit her lower lip in a way that was strangely attractive.

“Anyways,” Leo said pointedly, “We are currently on our way to the Grand Canyon, where Coach Hedge no doubt hopes to 'lose' a few students over the side. Namely me.”

Reyna dragged her eyes away from Piper to focus on the elfin boy sitting between them. “Are you sure we're friends?”

“Oh yeah! You do all of my chores for me, give me your desserts...”

“Leo...” Piper warned, still slightly pink in the face. “This is serious.”

“Right, right. Serious. So basically, we're three delinquent buddies stuck in the boarding school of doom. Sounds fun, right?”

Before either of the girls could respond, a deafening roar enveloped the school bus, which began to shake and rattle even harder than before. Shrieks from the students mingled with the groans of metal, and the entire vehicle tilted dangerously to one side. Reyna's back hit the window, and Leo and Piper both smacked into her chest. Just when she was sure they were going to crash to the ground and she was going to be squished under Leo's unnaturally pointy elbows (again), gravity changed direction and they all tumbled out into the aisle. Piper fell right into the waiting arms of the overly-muscled boy who had been so keen to comment on Leo's romantic prospects. His eyes sparked, and he flashed Reyna a not entirely human grin. Then he snapped his fingers, and every window in the bus blew out.

Reyna was dazed for only a second before her instincts kicked in. The bus had come to a stop in what she was pretty sure was an upright position. Wind howled through the bus, carrying shards of window and tiny sparks of electricity. Leo and several other students were down, but Reyna didn't see any serious injuries. The little round Coach was nowhere to be seen, and the muscle guy, who had Piper in a mugger's hold, was the only other person on the bus who was both upright and not panicking. Reyna zeroed in on him.

He felt...wrong. She didn't know how she'd managed to miss it before. The edges of his body appeared blurry, almost like he was dissolving into the wind swirling around him. His eyes flashed in time with the lightning that flickered around the bus, and when he smiled, his mouth seemed to open on a dark space filled with swirling storm clouds.

Reyna raised herself from her seat, focusing on Piper's captor. Everything else became background noise: she took it in, processed it, and filed the information away in milliseconds. She knew without a doubt that she had found the source of the problem. Take him out first, everything else later.

She raised her voice to be heard over the wind. “Ventus!”

The boy's grin widened, making his skin (or illusion of skin) crack disturbingly. “So you're the special one the mistress told me about. Excellent! Leo and Piper I could have had any time, but three dead demigods is much better than two, and your death will bring even greater rewards!” Still holding Piper, he flicked one hand in the direction of the bus' emergency exit, which immediately blew open. “Step lively now, I'd much prefer to finish this in the open air!”

As much as Reyna didn't want to do anything the monster boy said, she knew getting outside and away from the civilians on the bus was probably her best chance. Best chance to do what?, She wondered privately, Get yourself killed?

On the floor, Leo groaned and lifted his head in a Reyna's direction. Good. Now maybe, if she could somehow communicate to him without the storm spirit noticing...

But it was too late. “Good morning, sleeping beauty!” The creature cackled. “Ready to put up a bit more of a fight – OW!”

Most of the boy's body was now a swirling mass of wind and storm clouds, but he'd kept one arm and his torso relatively solid in order to hold Piper in place, a fact the girl had taken advantage of. Her hands were hooked into the crook of his arm, dragging it away from her neck, and his preoccupation with Leo had given her an opening to drive an elbow back and into his stomach. The rest of the spirit's physical body dematerialized, and he roared with anger as Piper darted out the exit shouting “Catch me if you can, ugly!”

Despite the situation, Reyna was impressed. Piper could definitely handle herself in a tough situation. Reyna found herself wishing that she could remember being Piper's girlfriend. Time for that later, Reyna, she reminded herself, Time for killing monsters now.

Behind her, Leo got to his feet. “Reyna?” He sounded confused, and she suspected he might have hit his head pretty hard. “What's going on? What do we do?”

Thoughts flew through her head almost faster than she could process them. Bringing Leo outside would be dangerous, especially if he was injured, but the ventus had made it clear that he was only interested in Reyna, Leo, and Piper. If all three of them left the bus, the other students would be safer. “Come on, Leo! Outside!”

Reyna ran for the exit, knowing without checking that Leo was only a few steps behind her. Outside, wind and rain lashed at her face, and she was glad for the tight braid that kept her hair from becoming a deadly weapon. She strained to see through the storm, and found Piper on her knees, surrounded by three venti. Instinctively, Reyna reached into her pocket and produced a small golden arrowhead, embraced by a carving of an eagle at its widest section. Unthinking, she spun it in the palm of her hand, and felt it lengthen, until she was holding a full-sized, gleaming gold javelin.

Part of her knew she should have been surprised by this new development, but luckily her instincts were stronger. She lunged at the ventus directly behind Piper, stabbing the point of her spear through where she imagined its heart would be, if it had a body. The creature bellowed in surprise, releasing a gust of wind that knocked Piper forward. Reyna pushed forward, twisting the shaft of her javelin in her hand in hopes that storm spirits had some sort of vital point she could hit. Sure enough, it let out a final blast of wind and exploded into golden dust.

Energized by the unexpected disappearance of one of her captors, Piper scrambled to her feet and backed towards Reyna. “Why” she shouted, voice wild “do you have a giant spear?”

Reyna stepped forward and leveled the weapon in question at the remaining venti to cover Piper's retreat. “Not sure, but I'm not complaining!” Reyna yelled back.

The spirits were wary now that they knew Reyna could hit them. They circled the girls, keeping well out of range. Reyna moved so that her back was against Piper's and they rotated to keep both opponents in view. Reyna was just starting to wonder how she could defeat both of them now that she no longer had surprise on her side, when...

“YAAAA! DIE, MONSTERS!” The Wilderness School coach barreled into view, going right through the stormy body of a ventus. His cap had fallen off, revealing two curling horns sprouting out of the top of his head, and he appeared to be wearing a pair of very shaggy pants. Instead of a megaphone, he was wielding a huge club with vines sprouting out of its sides.

Faun, Reyna thought, not entirely certain where the word had come from. Whatever he was, he had succeeded in distracting the spirit. As soon as he was clear, Reyna swooped in with her spear, trying to aim for the same point on its body. This time, she hit it on the second try.

“GOT YOU!” Coach Hedge cried triumphantly, apparently under the impression that he had disintegrated the second ventus with the force of his body slam.

That left one. Reyna turned to find that Leo had caught up to Piper, and the two were facing down the final spirit. Leo brandished his screwdriver, and Piper had her arms in front of her chest as a guard. Less than a foot away from them, the spirit stopped.

“The mistress calls me back to her, and you shall come with me, demigod!” It cried, speaking with the disembodied voice of the Wilderness School student from the bus. It lunged forward, and a pair of corporeal arms pulled Leo towards its body, which was forming into a funnel cloud.

“Leo!” Reyna shouted, scrambling to reach the ventus before it took off.

Coach Hedge got there first, slamming directly into the center of the whirlwind. “Attack MY demigods, will you? Well– ”

His voice was cut off abruptly as the collection of storm clouds shot into the sky, taking the wind and rain with them. Leo was knocked free in the struggle, and dropped to the ground at Piper's feet. Reyna ran to them, and knelt down to examine Leo. He was bleeding from a shallow cut on his forehead, and dirty and bruised from his tumble in the dirt, but seemed otherwise intact.

“Okay” he groaned, “Maybe I'm the one with a concussion. Reyna...is that a spear?”

The weapon lay on the ground beside them, and all three turned to stare at it.

Reyna nodded mutely. Piper let out a long breath and sank to the ground, leaning her forehead against Reyna's shoulder. “What...is going...on?”

“I wish I knew” Reyna told her.

“What are demigods?” Leo asked.

“They're like...part gods. Half god and half human.” Piper answered, her voice muffled against Reyna's sleeve.

“How do you know that?” Leo asked.

Piper shrank down even more, mumbling something about her dad.

“What's going on? Where's Coach Hedge?” A voice demanded.

“Someone call 911!” Someone else shouted.

Reyna looked up and groaned. With the sudden disappearance of the storm, the other students were starting to emerge from their battered school bus. Reyna reached for her spear, and found that it had already reverted back to arrowhead form. Grateful not to have to explain that particular aspect of the story, she tucked it back into her pocket.

“Let us handle this.” A new, deep voice responded to the clamors from the students. A tall, broad man in an EMT uniform strode into view. A much shorter woman followed him, carrying a large red box marked with a first aid symbol. Surprised, Reyna turned to search for their vehicle, but there was no ambulance in sight.

Instead, she met the sea-green eyes of a thin, dark-haired boy about her age. At his side was a much larger boy, wearing a tank-top that showed off the rainbow tattoo on his bicep. Behind them were two winged horses, tethered to a brightly colored chariot.

Piper gasped, and Leo whispered “You guys are seeing this, right?”

The green-eyed boy gave Reyna a small, strained smile. “So, I'm guessing you're the girl in the purple shirt I was supposed to find?”

Reyna blinked at him. “What?”

But the boy was gazing over her head, studying the stream of students emerging from the bus to talk to the EMTs. When the last of them had exited the doorway, the boy's shoulders slumped, and he turned his attention back to his companion. “She's not here.”

“Who's not here? Who are you?” Piper asked, sounding more than slightly overwhelmed.

The boy sighed. “She tricked me. Gods, I can't believe...”

Reyna was getting a bit tired of this act. She got to her feet, and glared directly at him. “Who tricked you? Who are you looking for?”

A light, musical voice responded from behind Reyna. “We're here to help. Please forgive Percy. It's been a very long three days for all of us.”

The female EMT had broken away from her partner. She pushed her dark curls out of her face and gave Reyna a dazzling smile. “I'm Silena, that's Percy, and this” she gestured to the boy with the rainbow tattoo “is Butch. We're here to take you someplace safe.”

Reyna, Leo, and Piper immediately began throwing questions at her, jumbling words together and talking over each other.

“What-”

“Where is-”

“What were-”

Silena chuckled. “We can talk more at camp, I promise. But for now, we really need to get out of here. Where is Gleeson Hedge?”

“Who?” Reyna asked.

“Gleeson?” Leo asked, “You mean Coach Hedge?”

The woman nodded. “Your protector, yes. Where is he?”

There was a moment of silence, and then Reyna spoke up. “One of the venti...it took him.”

A mixture of sadness and confusion passed over Silena's face. “I see we have a lot to talk about.”

“Silena” Percy began, “We can't leave yet. She said the answer was here. I can't go without finding Annabeth.”

Butch pointed at Reyna. “She's the girl in purple, right? She has to be the answer.”

Percy shook his head. “That can't be right. There has to be something else. Annabeth was supposed to be here!” His voice rose on the last sentence, betraying a mix of anger and frustration.

“Hera didn't say you'd find Annabeth,” Silena pointed out gently, “She said you would find the answer. We just have to figure out what it is.”

Percy kicked at the ground. “I wish I could say I can't believe this... But she's always had it out for Annabeth.”

Piper and Leo were glancing quickly back and forth between Percy and Silena, trying to follow the conversation, but Reyna had had enough of being ignored and talked about like she wasn't there. She took a few steps closer to the group of newcomers. “Would someone” she started, voice slow and deliberate “please explain what is going on?”

Percy took a deep breath, and nodded sharply as if he'd just made a decision. “Alright, we'll figure this out at camp.” He tried for a smile, and gestured towards the chariot. “All aboard!”

Leo whistled. “Ride the flying horse mobile? Sweet.”

Piper hesitated, and looked over her shoulder at the wrecked school bus. “What about everyone else?”

“Don't worry,” Silena said. “Charlie and I are staying behind. We'll make sure they all get to safety.”

Piper nodded and started towards the chariot, reaching for Reyna's hand. Reyna only paused for a second before taking it. Percy was already in the front of the chariot. Butch helped Piper into a seat, and then turned to Reyna.

“Wait.” Reyna said, fixing him with what she hoped was a paralyzing stare. “What's going on here? Who is Annabeth?”

Butch looked grim. “Annabeth is Percy's girlfriend. She disappeared three days ago, and we've been searching for her ever since.”


	2. Reyna

“The lake! Aim for the lake!” Percy shouted.

 

The flying chariot, fresh from a renewed attack by angry storm spirits, was quickly losing altitude. Piper clung to Reyna’s arm, eyes shifting wildly and hair whipping around her face like a small storm cloud. Reyna struggled to get her arm around Piper, ignoring the girl’s nails digging into her forearm.

 

Up front, Percy and Butch were fighting to keep them in the air, and the exhausted pegasi strained to carry the weight of five demigods and one broken chariot. Reyna barely had time to register the sight of the lake’s surface rushing up towards her before they crashed into it.  

 

Reyna had heard that hitting water from such a great height was really no better than falling onto solid ground. Rationally, she knew she should have been dead. Instead, the water parted for her, and she floated for a moment before it began to close over her head. She gave into a brief moment of panic before being struck by a realization.

 

As bizarre as Reyna’s day had been so far - losing her memory, waking up on an unfamiliar school bus, being attacked by storm spirits and producing an enormous spear from her pocket - previous events began to seem downright ordinary in the face of the fact that she was breathing underwater. The water didn’t feel cold, or even wet. In fact, it didn’t feel like much of anything. She touched her right hand to her left forearm - not even a drop of water. Instead, she noticed something else and sucked in a deep (and impossible) breath.

 

The letters “SPQR” were branded into her skin. Below them were similarly branded symbols; a crossed sword and torch over four vertical lines. Before Reyna had the chance to ponder this new development, or wonder how she could possibly have not noticed such an obvious clue to her past, she got another surprise. A face appeared in the green water not four inches from her nose - a girl’s face, with eerie yellow eyes and flowing black hair. Similar faces appeared around her, and the girls grabbed her by the arms and began to haul her up.

 

At the edge of the lake, a small crowd of teenagers had gathered. Leo and Piper stood on the shore with Butch, who seemed to be fending off curious spectators while the new arrivals dried wrapped themselves in large fluffy towels. Percy was sitting in the shallows nearby, his head resting on his knees. A large, fierce looking girl with a square jaw and a build like a wrestler stood over him. Reyna wasn’t sure if she was watching over Percy or attempting to interrogate him.

 

If it was interrogation the girl was after, it didn’t seem to be going very well. Percy made no attempt to respond to anything she said, leaving her to huff and shake her head at him. As Piper and Leo seemed safe for moment, Reyna approached Percy and his guardian/captor. She knew that this must be Camp Half-Blood, home to Percy and their other rescuers and should therefore be friendly territory, but something about it felt distinctly unwelcoming.

 

“Hades, Jackson, can’t you answer a simple question?”

 

Percy raised his head a fraction of an inch mumbled something that sounded like “canooayimpanswer”, and then dropped his face back between his knees.

 

The girl let out an exasperated sigh and ran a hand through her dark, military-short hair. “Good-for-nothing fishboy.”

 

“Excuse me!” Reyna barked, hoping she sounded more stern than confused, “Who are you? What’s wrong with Percy?”

 

The army girl snorted and nudged Percy with her foot. “Who are you, another stray? Fishy here wore himself out saving your asses.”

 

Percy raised his head enough to look up at Reyna. His green eyes were dull, and his voice sounded small and sad when he addressed her. “Hey. Sorry you were under so long. I tried, but I couldn’t keep all of us floating.”

 

Reyna raised an eyebrow at him. “You helped me breathe underwater?”

 

He nodded, and the girl above him snorted again. “That, and kept you all from being turned into demigod pancakes.”

 

Reyna was confused, but perhaps not as utterly baffled as she should have been. Lost memories, storm spirits, magical spears - why not a boy who could keep people dry underwater? She knelt down at his side. “Well...thanks for the save, then. Will you be alright?”

 

Percy gave her a forced smile. “Yeah. The water helps. Now we just need some answers.”

 

Army girl rolled her eyes. “Tell me about it! Did you find Annabeth or not? Where are Silena and Becks?”

 

“PERCY!” A teenage boy broke away from the crowd and sloshed towards the trio. “I gave you the chariot to borrow, not destroy!”

 

Percy took Reyna’s offered hand and pushed himself to his feet with a grimace. “Sorry, Will. We’ll get it fixed.”

 

The new boy sighed and fiddled with the longbow slung over his shoulder. “Come back to shore, Percy. I’m guessing we have a lot to talk about.”

 

Percy nodded, and started towards the small crowd surrounding Leo, Piper, and Butch. Will and the army girl followed - the girl muttering indignantly all the way - and Reyna was only a few steps behind. They had barely stepped out of the lake when they were bombarded with questions, most directed at Percy.

 

“Where’s Annabeth?”

 

“Did you find anything?”

 

“Who are they?”

 

“They’re old! Shouldn’t they have been claimed?”

 

“Where are Silena and Beckendorf?”

 

Despite her earlier irritation with him, the big girl stepped in front of Percy, squared her shoulders, and bellowed “WOULD EVERYONE SHUT UP?”

 

Instant silence fell, and someone mumbled “Sorry, Clarisse.”

 

Clarisse put her hands on her hips. “Don’t be sorry, just zip it and listen!”

 

Reyna couldn’t help smiling. She had to feel a bit of admiration for anyone who could command a crowd so quickly and efficiently. Percy gave Clarisse a small nod, and moved out from behind her, tousling his hair nervously with one hand. “First...no, we haven’t found Annabeth.”

 

A chorus of groans and sighs emanated from the crowd, until Clarisse gave everyone another glare.

 

“These three,” Percy continued, gesturing to each of them in turn, “are new campers - Reyna, Piper, and Leo.”

 

With Percy’s lack of information about the missing camper revealed, most of the crowd turned to scrutinize the next most interesting phenomenon - the three newcomers. A tall, Asian girl with perfectly curled hair and flawless make-up cast a disdainful glance over Reyna and Leo before settling on Piper. She sighed dramatically, and Reyna knew at once that they were going to have a problem.

 

“Seriously? Well, I hope they were worth the trouble.”

 

Piper stiffened. Leo rolled his eyes. “Great, thanks. What are we, your new pets?”

 

“We didn’t ask to be brought here.” Piper added, her face lighting up with anger. “We don’t even know what’s going on!”

 

The girl raised her perfect eyebrows. “Trust me, nobody here wants you. Does your hair always look like a dead badger?”

 

Reyna recognized the glint in Piper’s eyes as she shifted her weight forward, and darted between the two girls in time to catch Piper’s wrist. “Piper, stop.”

 

The glamour girl let out a high-pitched laugh, which was quickly became a strangled squeak when Clarisse dropped a large hand onto her shoulder. The bigger girl gave Percy a pointed look. “When did you say Silena would be back, Percy?”

 

Percy looked almost amused. “Blackjack should be here with her and Beckendorf any minute now.”

 

Clarisse grinned wolfishly at the girl struggling beneath her grip. “See? Not in charge yet, are you, princess?”

 

Percy coughed, and Clarisse shrugged and released her captive. “Drew, we need to make our new arrivals feel welcome. They should each have a guide, and hopefully they’ll be claimed at the campfire tonight.”

 

Reyna stepped away from Piper, hands on her hips. “How about we start with some answers? Like, to start with, what is this place? Why are we here? What do you mean, ‘claimed’?”

 

Percy nodded, face drawn. “Fair enough. We’ll answer all of your questions the best we can. For now - ”

 

Before he could finish, Leo’s head drew everyone’s attention by bursting into flames. Reyna seized him by the shoulders and was halfway to dunking him back in the lake before she noticed the distinct lack of heat emanating from his supposedly fiery hair. She froze, and examined Leo more closely. Instead of actual fire, an incorporeal image of a flaming hammer floated above his thick curls.

 

Reyna let go of his shoulders and stared at the image, mesmerized. _A brand, like the one burned onto her own arm, that same flaming hammer as its centerpiece. Five vertical lines, and those same letters - “SPQR”._ She blinked, stunned. “Sorry, Leo.”

 

He gaped back at her. “What did I do? Am I on fire?”

 

Percy grinned, looking genuinely happy for a moment. “Not exactly. You’ve just been claimed.”

 

Leo looked up, yelped, and ducked. The symbol ducked with him. He glared at it, and tucked and rolled across the grass. Still, the holograph followed him. Some of the other kids were laughing now. Drew sneered and spun away from the group, as if to let them know exactly how far these antics were below her.

 

Leo finally came to a stop, and scrambled to his feet, disheveled. “Claimed? By what?”

 

The pieces clicked together. Reyna spun to face Percy. “By a god.”

 

Percy’s smile melted away, replaced by anxious confusion. Beside him, Piper gave her a concerned look.

 

Reyna pressed on. “That’s the symbol of Vulcan. That’s who’s claimed Leo.”

 

“But I don’t even like Star Trek!” Leo shouted.

 

Some of the kids muttered to each other in confusion, others looked suspicious.  Percy turned his attention from Leo to Reyna, and studied her closely.

 

“That’s the symbol of Hephaestus, the Greek god of blacksmiths. The Romans called him Vulcan. Reyna...how did you know that?”

 

How did she know that? Reyna wracked her brain for a memory that would explain the sudden flash of knowledge, but there was nothing there. Nothing but that argument, and those blue eyes. And she very much doubted that the argument had involved Roman mythology. She shrugged helplessly, hating her inability to remember her own life. “I don’t know. I don’t...I don’t remember.”

 

Percy stared at her a moment longer, as if trying to decide whether or not she was hiding something. Finally, he said “Let me see your arm.”

 

Startled, Reyna held out her right arm, and Percy shook his head. “No, the other one. What’s that tattoo?”

 

Hesitantly, Reyna displayed the mark on her left forearm, every instinct warning her against doing so. Something in her head shrieked “Danger!”, and she stubbornly ignored it. If her own head wasn’t going to give her any answers, she certainly wasn’t going to let anything stop her from looking for them elsewhere.

 

Percy stepped closer to study the brand, carefully not touching Reyna. Several of the other campers attempted to peer over his shoulder for a closer look. Piper shifted uncomfortably at Reyna’s side. She had obviously never noticed the tattoo either, and yet it did not look new. If they’d really known each other for months, she would have seen it before. Reyna’s heart felt as if it had just dropped several inches in her chest. Yes, Piper and Leo’s story about their history together had always felt unlikely, but she’d still hoped. If she wasn’t who her companions believed, who was she?

 

“Percy? CLARISSE!” The crowd around Reyna broke apart as a small, dark-haired woman burst through their outer ranks. Her EMT uniform was gone, replaced by a slightly singed orange t-shirt. Her face was flushed, and she was sweating and out of breath. Clarisse pushed through the campers, a look of horror on plastered across her broad face.

 

“Attacked on the way back… Charlie’s hurt!” Silena gasped, stumbling against Clarisse’s chest.

 

The campers, who had been staring at Reyna’s arm in silent fascination, exploded into motion. Everyone seemed to be moving and shouting at once. Percy grabbed Will and spoke next to his ear, and then turned to Piper and Reyna.

 

“Come on. We need to talk to Chiron, now.”

 

Reyna glared at him. “Wait, who’s - ”

 

Percy was already running, away from the small group with Silena at its head. Reyna hesitated for a moment, then took off after him, Piper close at her heels. Percy led them to a huge, sky-blue farmhouse, with white trim and a wrap-around deck. He bounded up the stairs and threw open the door, not waiting for the girls to catch up.

 

Reyna stopped at the foot of the steps. In the excitement that followed their crash landing, she hadn’t had time to think about how very wrong this place felt. Despite Percy’s assurances that they were going somewhere safe (“the only safe place for kids like us”, he’d said on the chariot ride), Reyna felt more endangered now than she had on the bus with the evil storm spirits, or in a horse-drawn wooden box miles above the ground. Standing in front of the house, the sense of peril increased to a level that was almost unbearable. She felt unwelcome, like even the air around the building was trying to push her back, keep her at bay. She wasn’t sure she would be able to enter the house even if she wanted to.

 

At her side, Piper seemed to sense her discomfort, and rested a hand lightly on her back. Reyna knew she should step away, but the touch was comforting. At least one person wanted her around. Before she could move or express her gratitude, an enormous four-legged figure burst through the front door of the farmhouse and galloped down the stairs, narrowly missing the two girls. Percy emerged from the door next, a slightly wild look on his face, and beckoned to Piper and Reyna.

 

Instead of joining him on the porch, Reyna stared down at the horseshoe prints left by the creature’s passage. Her discomfort intensified as she looked from the marks, to Piper, to the boy on the porch, and back again.

 

Piper gaped at Percy. “Was… Was that a centaur?”

 

Percy smiled slightly. “His name is Chiron. He’s our Activities Director.”

 

“But - ”

 

“Come inside. Chiron will be back with Beckendorf in a few minutes, and he’s going to want to talk to Reyna.”

 

Piper started forward, and then hesitated and looked back. Reyna waved her on, and took a deep, steadying breath. It took all of her willpower to climb the porch steps and cross the threshold of the farmhouse. Her muscles worked at a fraction of their usual speed, and every nerve felt like it was on fire, but she focused on Piper’s choppy brown hair and managed to follow her through the door.

 

~

 

Inside, Percy led them into a jungle.

 

It might have been a living room in a past life, but now grapevines grew around sofa-shaped objects, and wooden chairs had sprouted into full-size trees. The floor was carpeted with moss and ferns, and a warm mist hung in the air, occasionally obscuring Reyna’s vision. Masks decorated the walls, their orifices bursting with ripe grapes, and somewhere in the distance it sounded like someone was chanting.

 

But that was nothing compared to the leopard. It was only a head, stuffed and mounted above a vine-choked fireplace, but its yellow eyes glimmered with life as they tracked Reyna and Piper through the room. Reyna told herself that a severed head couldn’t possibly be alive, much less watching her, but still she slipped her hand into the pocket containing her arrowhead. With the sense of danger that permeated the house and everything else she’d seen that day, it couldn’t hurt to be careful.

 

Then the head snarled. Piper lept backwards, and Reyna was armed and ready to strike in seconds. Before she could do more than drop into a battle stance, Percy was between her and the leopard.

 

“Seymour, bad! These are friends!”

 

The leopard head whimpered, apparently distressed at hearing that Reyna and Piper were not food. Percy sighed, grabbed a package from an end-table-turned-treestump, and tossed something into the leopard’s mouth. It smacked its lips and purred appreciatively in Percy’s direction before glaring at Reyna, as if to make sure she knew she wasn’t off the menu just yet.

 

“So, uh… Do you always have a rainforest in your living room?” Piper asked, still sounding slightly shaken up.

 

Percy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Not always. This junk was a...gift from our old camp director. He left it like this when he got called back to Mount Olympus.”

 

Piper’s eyes widened. “Wait. Your camp director got called back to _Mount Olympus_? Like…home-of the-gods Mount Olympus, or am I missing something here?”

 

“No, you’ve got it. Mr. D was sent to oversee the camp as a punishment, but he spends most of his time punishing us.”

 

“Bacchus.” Reyna said, flatly. “You expect us to believe your camp director is Bacchus.”

 

In truth, Reyna had already accepted the whole “Roman mythology come to life” thing, but she was also tired of accepting without question, and frustrated with the way her brain seemed hardwired to do so. She’d lost all her memories and been thrown into a world where monsters and legends mingled with schoolchildren, and yet somehow, she wasn’t shocked. A _normal_ person should be downright nonfunctional in this situation, and instead she was brandishing spears at illegal hunting trophies. Her brain was fuzzy with confusion and anger at her confusion, but below the surface was a deep understanding that this was the way her life was. Her own mind had betrayed her and she wondered, not for the first time, if this entire day had been some sort of hallucination.

 

Percy looked at her with something like sympathy, which she did not find comforting in the slightest. “Dionysus actually, but yes, he was our camp director. Before the gods stopped talking to us, anyways.”

 

Reyna’s reply was cut off by the clip-clop of returning hooves and muffled, frantic conversation. With a quick “wait here” to Piper and and Reyna, Percy rushed out of the room and disappeared down a long hallway.

 

Piper let out a breath. “Well, that was rude.”

 

Seymour the severed head growled. Reyna glared back, and two humans and an undead leopard waited in tense silence for a few moments, listening to sounds of activity from elsewhere in the house. Reyna hoped the man who’d been attacked by wind spirits was alright. Though they had barely interacted, he’d seemed confident and trustworthy back at the bus wreck. Like the sort of person one might want on their side in a fight against mythological monsters.

 

“Piper? Reyna?” A familiar, elfin face poked into the room. “Oh, _sweet_.”

 

Piper visibly relaxed. “Leo! Is everything okay?”

 

Leo stepped carefully into the room, staring at the rainforest around him in wonder. “Uh, what was that, Pipes?”

 

Piper rolled her eyes. “You know I hate it when you call me that.”

 

“Sorry, Pipes. The centaur - did you see the centaur? - carried that EMT guy to the infirmary. They think he’s going to be okay as long as he eats some amber-stuff.”

 

“Ambrosia. The food of the gods.” Reyna corrected. “It can heal demigods as long as they don’t eat too much.”

 

“What happens if they eat too much?” Leo asked, at the same time as Piper said “Reyna, how do you know that?”

 

“A question we all want the answer to.” The new voice came from a middle-aged man in a wheelchair, who entered the jungle followed by Percy and a muscular, dark-skinned young woman. “Hello Reyna, Piper. My name is Chiron.”

 

Leo’s eyebrows shot into his hairline. “Um… Not to be rude or anything, but weren’t you part horse a second ago?”

 

Chiron chuckled. “I generally prefer this form for first meetings, but sometimes it can’t be helped.”

 

“That boy, the EMT...is he going to be okay?” Piper asked. “He was helping the other kids from our school, and…”

 

Chiron held up a hand. “Charles will be fine. He’s one of our most experienced campers, and has been with us through much worse.”

 

Reyna wondered what was worse than being attacked in midair by vicious storm winds. She certainly hadn’t enjoyed it much.

 

“Oh. I’m glad to hear that. Well, part of it anyway.” Piper replied awkwardly.

 

Chiron smiled at her gently. “Piper, my dear, why don’t you join Percy for a tour of the camp? And Leo, Nyssa will take you to Cabin 9. There is much Reyna and I must discuss.”

 

“Wait - ” “But - ” Percy, Piper, Leo, and Reyna all protested at the same time.

 

Chiron fixed them with a schoolteacher’s stern look. “You will all see each other at dinner. Hopefully by then, we will have answers to a few of our questions.

 

Percy sighed. “Alright. Come on, Piper.”

 

Piper gave Reyna an apologetic glance before following Percy out of the room. Nyssa and Leo were right behind them. Reyna clenched her hands into fists at her sides, and tried to fight off the sense of impending doom that settled back over her like a fog as soon as her friends left the room.

 

Chiron waited until he was sure the others were out of earshot before he said “You shouldn’t be here.”

 

Reyna swallowed. “Excuse me?”

 

“Why don’t you sit down?”

 

It sounded more like an order than an invitation, but Reyna shook her head. “Thanks, but I prefer to stand.”

 

Chiron sighed, his wheelchair bumping over the mossy ground as he pulled up beside the sofa-shaped vine formation. “You have nothing to fear from me, child. We have a lot to talk about, and I’m sure you would be more comfortable sitting.”

 

Reyna eyed him with distrust. Sure, he looked kind and harmless now, but in centaur form, she was pretty sure he could trample her to the ground as easily as speak to her. Not to mention her growing sense of wrongness, which was now focused almost entirely on this man. She weighed her options and sat, deciding that friendliness was probably her best chance at learning whatever Chiron might know (or think he knew) about her.

 

And if he tried anything, she still had a magic spear.

 

Chiron leaned back in his wheelchair, and gave her a strained smile. “Forgive me, Reyna. This day has been full of unexpected events for all of us.”

 

Reyna couldn’t suppress a snort. “Yeah, tell me about it.”

 

“So, ah, would you mind telling me where you’re from?”

 

She sighed. “I’m getting really tired of saying this, but I don’t know. I don’t remember anything before this morning.”

 

“Then why don’t you start at the beginning?”

 

Start at the beginning. It was easier said than done. The closest thing she had to a “beginning” was finding herself next to Piper on a schoolbus doomed never to reach its destination. Haltingly, she told Chiron the whole story, trying not to leave anything out in case it might be a clue to her past. He was a good listener, but his expression grew more concerned with every word Reyna said, and when she extended her forearm to display the mysterious tattoo, he looked at her like she might explode any minute.

 

“And you have no memory of getting those marks? Or what they mean?”

 

Reyna shook her head. “Do you know what they mean?”

 

“Child, I’m afraid I can’t explain. I swore on the River Styx that I would never - ”

 

Reyna stood up, frustration and anger reaching a boiling point in her brain. She exploded. _“I don’t care what you swore! I lost my memories! I don’t even know who I am!”_

Seymour the leopard head roared. Instead of scolding like she expected, Chiron gave her a weak smile. _“You speak Latin.”_

 

Reyna froze. “What?”

 

Chiron switched back to English. “Unless I’m terribly mistaken, you just yelled at me in Latin. Most demigods recognize a few phrases of course, it’s in their blood, but none are fluent without training.”

 

Reyna glared at him. “Maybe I’ve had training. How would I know? And why did you say I shouldn’t be here?”

 

He shook his head. “You feel it, don’t you? This place - the camp, the house - it all feels wrong to you, doesn’t it?”

 

Reyna tensed. “I… Yes.”

 

“Do you know where you are? Who I am?”

 

“You’re Chiron. A centaur. The same one who trained the Greek heroes in the stories. This is a training camp for demigods, the children of the Olympian gods.” Percy had said as much, assuring Reyna, Piper, and Leo that Camp Half-Blood was the only safe place for demigods like them. But that wasn’t true. She knew, more than she could say she really knew anything else, that Percy was wrong. “But it’s not the only place for demigods, is it? You think I came from somewhere else.”

 

Chiron’s expression was guarded, and when he spoke again, it was in Latin. _“I think you were claimed a long time ago.”_

 

_“I think so. The mark on my arm is my parent’s symbol, isn’t it?”_

 

He nodded sadly. “Camp Half-Blood is meant to be a safe place for all Greek demigods, no matter their parentage. But you are unlike any camper we have ever had. Your presence here could mean disaster for all of us.”

 

Reyna scowled. “Thanks.”

 

“I’m sorry, my dear. The last chapter approaches, just - ” He froze, his mouth open as if to finish his sentence, but no sound came out. He didn’t move, or blink, or even breathe.

 

“Chiron? Chiron, what - ”

 

The leopard howled, breaking the otherworldly silence in the room. Reyna spun, drawing her spear and leveling it at the mounted head. Unlike everything around him, Seymour was still moving. He opened his mouth, and purple mist spilled out.

 

_Reyna._

 

The mist formed itself into the shape of a woman - a tall, regal figure in black robes, wearing a goatskin cloak over her shoulders. Sensing she was in the presence of a being she could not hope to fight, even if the need arose, Reyna lowered her weapon. “Who are you?”

 

_You don’t recognize me? A shame. You have always been special to me, daughter of war._

 

“Daughter of - what? Are you my - ?”

 

_Hush, child. We don’t have much time. My prison grows stronger, and I grow weaker with each moment that passes. I have brought you here, but my power is running out. This will be the last time we speak. You must free me, my hero._

 

“Look, whoever you are, I’m not your hero. I don’t know you. I don’t even know me.”

 

_Ah, but I know you. I have known you since before you were born, Reyna Avila Ramirez Arellano._

 

Reyna paused. “Is that my name? I don’t…” She trailed off.

 

_You don’t remember. This too, was necessary._

 

“Necessary? Then it was you who took my memories?” She raised her spear again, suddenly less concerned with her odds of victory. Whoever this woman was, it was her fault Reyna was here, in a place that hated her very existence, with no memory of who she was or where she came from.

 

The cloaked figure raised a hand, and Reyna’s spear clattered noisily to the ground, where it shrank into a palm-sized arrowhead.

 

 _You would attack your patron?_ The woman chided, her voice deeper and more dangerous, the mist around her deepening in color until it looked like the air was bruised.

 

“You are not my patron! You say you’re in prison? Why should I help you get out?” Reyna knew she was digging herself deeper still, but she didn’t care. Not if it meant she got some answers.

 

_Free me, Reyna, or you will never get your memories back. You have until sunset on the solstice. You will not fail me._

 

With that dire pronouncement, the misty figure began to dissipate. Her legs dissolved first, then her arms and torso, while her cloaked face stayed focused on Reyna until the very end, leaving her with the feeling of being watched. At last, the shapeless mist bunched into a controlled stream, and swirled into the leopard’s waiting mouth as if it were a drain.

 

Seymour purred and smacked his lips, and the room came to life. Chiron blinked and said “ - as it did before. Reyna, what are you looking at?”

 

She was still gaping at the leopard, which looked supremely pleased with itself. “Apparently, the leopard ate my patron goddess.” She explained about the woman in the mist, her comments about Reyna’s memories, and the order to free her.

 

Chiron sighed. “Oh dear. That explains a lot.”

 

Reyna turned her glare back on the old centaur. “How does that explain anything? That woman...she was Juno, wasn’t she?” It had finally clicked. The haughty imperial manner, the goatskin cloak...the woman was the queen of the gods. “What does she want me for?”

 

Chiron didn’t have a chance to answer. Footsteps pounded on the porch, and in seconds, Percy and a redheaded girl appeared in the doorway, supporting an unconscious Piper between them. Reyna blew past Chiron, and took Piper’s weight from Percy. “What happened to her?” She demanded, furious, “What did you do to her?”

 

“Vision. Hera. Bad.” Percy panted, sounding as though he’d run all the way up the hill to the house.

 

The redheaded girl looked up, her full, freckled cheeks stained with tears.. “I think… I think I might have killed her.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter should be Piper's point of view, so I'm looking forward to that. She and Reyna will alternate for the rest of this story. I will not be writing Leo's POV, because I'm not looking to rewrite the entire book, and I don't think Leo's chapters would change a whole lot.
> 
> I might do a oneshot with Leo and Beckendorf though. I think they'd be fun brothers.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	3. Piper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This scene got way longer than I initially anticipated, but I'm pretty happy with it!  
> Thank you everyone for your positive responses and support, especially goodforharpies and minutia-r!

The campfire was already in full swing by the time Rachel led Piper out of the infirmary and into the amphitheater. Several dozen kids filled the front rows around a stone firepit, reclining beneath colorful banners displaying the symbol of their godly parent. Reyna was beside Percy, a blue banner bearing a golden trident emblem hanging over their heads. They sat close to a group of burly kids beneath the same hammer symbol that had appeared over Leo’s head. Piper looked closer, and noticed Leo next to Beckendorf, the EMT who had been injured on his way back to Camp Half-Blood. He looked good, for someone who had recently been attacked by vicious storm winds. His arm was in a sling and his dark skin was streaked with lightning burns, which were already fading to scars, which, in the firelight, almost made him look like he was made of marble.

 

In front of the roaring fire, a few campers playing everything from guitars to lyres to what looked like a musical handsaw led the crowd in a rousing song about putting on armor. Some of the more energetic campers were jumping and waving their arms in the air, while others stayed in their seats and mimed the different pieces of armor. Leo was laughing and singing along, while Reyna looked utterly bewildered.

 

“Some of Apollo’s kids,” Rachel gestured to the song leaders as they took their seats, “They can make music out of just about anything. One time they enchanted the toilet seats to play different notes every time someone sat down.” She smiled fondly at the group.

 

Piper looked curiously at Rachel. “So, they’re your brothers and sisters?”

 

“Oh, no. I’m mortal, but their dad’s sort of my patron god - Apollo’s sacred oracle and all that.” She shrugged. “His kids look out for me. Mostly I don’t need it, but it’s a sweet thought.”

 

Piper wondered what it would be like to live at Camp Half-Blood, surrounded by friends and family who cared about her. It wasn’t something she’d ever really experienced, moving from private school to private school the way she had for most of her life. Leo and Reyna had been her first real friends. _No_ , she reminded herself, _Leo was your first real friend. Not Reyna. You don’t even know Reyna._

 

While on a tour of the camp that afternoon, Percy had explained to her about the Mist, which kept mortals from noticing anything unusual when demigods and monsters were among them, but could also fool demigods themselves. At first, she’d refused to believe him, but Percy drew attention to holes in her memory, so glaring she could hardly believe she’d overlooked them.

 

“Where is she from?” _She never said._

 

“Does she have family?” _She didn’t talk about them._

 

“Did you ever notice her tattoo?” _No._

 

“What’s her last name?”

 

At that, Piper had broken down. How could she not know Reyna’s full name? All the time they’d spent together, the jokes, the late nights sneaking around the Wilderness School with Leo, the meteor shower and the first time they kissed… Percy tried his best to be comforting, telling her he knew what it was like to lose a girlfriend, but it wasn’t the same. At least his memories of Annabeth were real. At least wherever she was, she could remember him.

But that wasn’t fair. Reyna was here, and safe, while Annabeth had been missing for three days. Her mind flashed to her father, tied to a post beside a different, more sinister bonfire, and suddenly got the inexplicable feeling that the disappearances were connected.

 

She probably would have burst into tears right there if the musicians hadn’t ended the singalong and made way for Chiron to trot into the circle of firelight. Piper tried to bring her emotions under control as the centaur welcomed the new arrivals to camp, and asked the crowd to remain seated for a discussion of important matters.

 

“Is it Annabeth?” A young girl called from under a grey banner emblazoned with an owl.

 

Chiron gestured to Percy. He took a deep breath and stood up, looking very small beside the flames that rose over his head. He took a deep breath. “I didn’t find Annabeth.”

 

The fire shrank as a chorus of groans filled the amphitheater. Chiron held up his hands for silence, and Percy continued, his voice shaking almost imperceptibly. “We’re not giving up. Thalia and the Hunters, Tyson, Nico, Grover...they’re all still searching. But there’s something else. A new quest.”

 

“The Great Prophecy.” Drew’s voice grated on Piper’s ears, even more so because she had no idea what the glamor girl was talking about. “It’s starting, isn’t it?”

 

The flames sank even further, and began to take on a sickly greenish tinge. The crowd was silent, except for small rustling noises as campers shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

 

Drew spread her hands like a lecturer. “Come on, isn’t it obvious? Olympus is closed, Annabeth’s disappeared, Hera sent a vision that was supposed to help Percy find her, but instead we got three new campers…” Her disdain for the newcomers was clear in her voice, and Piper wanted to reach across the amphitheater and shake her.

 

She looked at Rachel, hoping for an explanation as to what exactly “The Great Prophecy” was and why it had everyone so freaked, but then realized that Drew was staring at Rachel too. Actually, most of the faces in the amphitheater seemed to have turned towards the redheaded oracle.

 

“You’re the oracle”, Drew pointed out, “so - has the Great Prophecy started?”

 

Rachel gave Piper a small smile and rested a hand on her shoulder as she stood. “Yes. The Second Great Prophecy has begun.”

 

The amphitheater dissolved into chaos. Campers shouted questions at Rachel, Chiron, and each other. The fire turned a dark purple and shot a few feet higher, spitting violet sparks. Piper shuddered, remembering her dream of the giant Enceladus tending an eerie purple bonfire.

 

Reyna caught her eye from across the fire and gave her a small nod and a smile, but she looked about as confused as Piper felt. She and Piper were among the few people still sitting, as most of the campers had jumped to their feet and were conversing frantically with one another or trying to catch Rachel’s attention. Leo seemed to have been infected with his siblings’ anxiety, and was on his feet talking and fiddling with a small contraption in his hands. At Reyna’s side, Percy leaned forward onto his knees, staring into the flames with his chin resting on his knuckles.

 

Rachel took a few more steps into the clearing, and the pandemonium began to die down as the demigods leaned back or scrambled for their seats in an attempt to get further away from her. If the situation hadn’t felt so dire, the sight a whole camp full of half-gods cowering before a single mortal teenager would have been pretty funny.

 

Rachel cleared her throat, and total silence fell. “For those of you who don’t know, The Great Prophecy was my first prediction, back in August.” She gazed into the fire, and recited:

 

    “ _Seven half-bloods shall answer the call_

 _To storm or fire the world must fall -_ ”

 

Reyna jumped to her feet as if her seat had caught fire (Piper glanced quickly at Leo, thinking that roasting someone’s butt in the middle of an important revelation was just the sort of thing he would somehow manage to do, but he looked just as confused as everyone else) and stared at Rachel with her hands clenched at her sides.

 

Rachel stopped, caught off guard. “Reyna, what’s wrong?”

 

“ _Ut cum spiritu postrema sacramentum dejuremus_ ,” she chanted, “ _Et hostes ornamenta addent ad ianuam necem_.”

 

Nobody spoke. Several campers moved their lips silently, as if trying to translate whatever Reyna had just said. Reyna herself was still standing frozen in front of the fire, her eyes boring into Rachel as if the answers she sought were hidden in the Oracle’s soul.

 

Rachel opened and closed her mouth a few times before she managed, “That’s...that’s the rest of the prophecy. - An oath to keep with a final breath/And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death. How did you know that?”

 

Reyna unfroze, and drove the palms of her hands into her forehead as if fighting a really awful headache. “I know that prophecy. I’ve heard it before. I don’t know where, or how, but I know it.”

 

“In Latin,” Rachel added, “You know it in Latin.”

 

Reyna looked slightly embarrassed. “Yeah. I guess.”

 

“I don’t know how that’s possible, unless you were here somehow, overheard the prophecy…”

 

“Or she’s some sort of monster.” Drew called out. Now Piper _really_ wanted to strangle her. “I mean, she showed up out of nowhere, she hasn’t been claimed, but she’s way too old to not know who her parent is...she could be here to spy on us.”

 

“No”, Beckendorf rumbled, his deep voice sounding slightly scratchy, “if she was a monster, she never would have made it past our borders.”

 

Drew shrugged. “A traitor demigod then. Olympus knows we’ve dealt with plenty of _those_ this year.”

 

“You shut your mouth, Barbie.” Clarisse snarled, practically leaping out of her seat. She was intercepted before she could reach the Aphrodite campers by a tall Latina girl who grabbed her hand and coaxed her into sitting back down.

 

Rachel looked to Chiron for guidance, but the old centaur was watching his charges with a sort of resigned horror, as if he knew what was about to happen but couldn’t do anything to stop it. The redhead sighed, and signaled to one of the Apollo campers, who played a few loud, discordant notes on his musical saw. There were a few yelps, and then everyone fell silent in an instant, some hunched over and covering their ears. Rachel gave the Apollo boy a thumbs up, and Piper got the feeling this was a familiar procedure for dealing with rowdy campers.

 

“So,” Rachel began, sounding slightly unsteady, “that’s the second Great Prophecy. We were hoping it wouldn’t happen for years yet, since the first Great Prophecy just came to pass last summer, but I fear it is beginning now. Like Drew said, weird things are happening. Things we can’t explain. I believe some of the demigods mentioned in the prophecy are gathered here tonight, but I cannot prove it.”

 

The crowd listened in stunned silence as their oracle explained about the visions Reyna and Piper had seen, messages from the Queen of Olympus. Piper felt sick. According to Rachel, Hera had given similar orders to both girls - free her by the solstice, or the king of their enemies would rise and the world as they knew it would be doomed. None of that sounded particularly good, especially since it meant Piper and Reyna would be trying to accomplish the same task. Could she betray Reyna if it meant saving her father?

 

 _Of course you can_ , spoke a voice in her mind, _You don’t know anything about her. How do you know she’s not the real enemy, messing with your feelings? How do you know anyone here is on your side?_

 

Piper shook her head violently, alarmed. She’d wondered, of course, but she didn’t really believe she was among enemies here. In fact, Camp Half-Blood was the first place in a long time that had felt right, and besides, Leo was here. Leo, her first real friend in the world, who seemed to be getting along famously with his newfound siblings. Looking at him across the amphitheater, there was no doubt in her mind that he belonged at here. Which meant she would have to betray him too.

 

 _But I have to save Dad_ , she reminded herself. Her father needed her. That was the most important thing. She couldn’t lose sight of that.

 

She forced her attention back to Rachel, who was still speaking about the First Great Prophecy, and the Titan War. Piper wasn’t sure what Titan War she was referring to, but it sounded pretty nasty, and Rachel seemed to think that whatever the Second Great Prophecy predicted, it would be even worse. Not the sort of thing that made for a good school vacation - even if she hadn’t had a kidnapped father and an amnesiac sort-of-girlfriend to contend with.

 

“One thing is clear,” Rachel announced, her voice taking on a note of finality, “The first phase of the Second Great Prophecy has begun. Hera, the queen of the gods, has been taken. She has personally issued a quest to two demigods.”

 

She stepped back, and gestured for them to join her by the fire. Reyna did so immediately, her face blank and stoic. Piper climbed clumsily to her feet, trying not to shake. How could Reyna be so poised?

 

“Reyna and Piper, you are new to us, but this quest has been given to you.” She stopped and looked at them, as if waiting for them to protest.

 

Piper really was trembling now. This was it. She either warned the other campers now, and gave up on her father forever, or she committed herself to betraying them all. She almost wished Reyna would refuse the quest.

 

Reyna nodded solemnly. “I agree.”

 

Piper clenched her fists.

 

“Wait!” Beneath Aphrodite’s banner, Drew stood up, looking even more flawless in the firelight. “We can’t let them lead a quest! We don’t even know who they are. What if they want to help this ‘king’ rise? How do we know they’ll rescue Hera at all?”

 

A few of the campers muttered their agreement. An electric shock went through Piper. Did Drew know? Was that even possible? She couldn’t let this happen. If someone else took the quest, Enceladus would certainly kill her father.

 

“No!” Piper shot back, “We had the vision! This quest is meant for us!”

 

Drew rolled her eyes. “Come on, Dumpster Queen. Anyone can hallucinate.” She looked around the stands, making eye contact with as many other campers as she could. “Besides, how do we know they’re telling the truth? Maybe they planned this together!”

 

The discontented muttering got louder. Even Reyna looked slightly uncertain, as if she were no longer positive the vision had been real.

 

Piper raised her voice, banishing any trace of nervousness. “Queen Hera spoke to us. We are supposed to go.”

 

She was surprised by how persuasive her own voice sounded, full of confidence she didn’t feel. Even more surprisingly, some members of the audience were nodding, and a few commented that sending Piper and Reyna made sense.

 

“Well,” Percy began, “Hera did speak to them…”

 

“How do we know we can trust them?” Drew shouted, a little more desperate, “We don’t even know who their parents are!”

 

“Yeah,” an Ares camper called, “If they’re so important, why haven’t they been claimed?”

 

Piper opened her mouth and closed it again. She was a liar, and a traitor, and whoever her mother was, she didn’t even care enough to acknowledge her. Why should she? If she was a goddess, surely she knew her daughter’s real reason for wanting to go on this quest. Piper was about to admit defeat, when every eye in the amphitheater turned on her.

 

She looked down, and squeaked in surprise. Her old clothes were gone, and she was wearing a long, flowing white robe that reached to her ankles. Her nails were perfectly manicured, and she wore twisted golden bands around her wrists and ankles. Her ears felt heavier than normal, and she reached up and brushed her hand against an enormous hoop earring. She hadn’t worn earrings since she was ten! She didn’t own a dress either, let alone one with a neckline so low it barely even counted as clothing. And her hair...  Instead of short and choppy, it was now braided over one shoulder, adorned with ribbons of amber and gold. She staggered backwards, and would have fallen if Reyna and Rachel hadn’t moved to steady her between them.

 

Drew shrieked “Not possible!” while some of her siblings murmured in excitement. Chiron dropped his forelegs in a bow, and the other campers followed suit. “Hail, Piper McLean! Daughter of Aphrodite, lady of doves and goddess of love.”

 

Silena Beauregard was the first to get to her feet, after a moment of nightmarish silence. She took Piper’s hands in her own, and beamed openly. “I knew as soon as I saw you, Piper. Welcome home.”

 

Piper was speechless. She felt even worse now that she had confirmation that she really belonged here. She was holding hands with an older sister she’d never known existed, and had a dozen other siblings staring down at her. It was almost like the gods were asking her to choose - a new family, or her father?

 

“As for Reyna,” Chiron began, “I believe she was claimed long ago.”

 

Silena squeezed Piper’s hands and returned to her seat. Reyna stepped forward, away from Rachel and Piper, and pulled the strange golden arrowhead from her pocket. She spun it in her hand, and it grew into a seven foot spear, which she thrust towards the sky.

 

The crowd gasped. An immense shadow stood over Reyna, wielding a sword in one hand and a torch in the other. Reyna’s tattoo lit up, and an image of the emblem was projected in gold before her, so bright that several people in front of her covered their eyes.

 

Piper couldn’t stop staring. Inside the shadow warrior, Reyna stood in a battle-ready stance, her face tilted upward. An intense violet light outlined her aquiline nose, her full lips, her long braid, her muscular body. Piper blushed. Reyna didn’t need a fancy dress to look stunning.

 

The aura faded, and everyone was silent for a moment as campers looked at each other in confusion. A low muttering began, and someone said “I’ve never seen that symbol before”. With one motion, the crowd turned to their teacher.

 

Chiron looked grim. “All hail Reyna, daughter of Enyo, goddess of war and destruction.”

 

~

 

There was no bowing for Reyna. It took the combined efforts of Rachel, Chiron, and the Apollo camper with the musical saw to stop the explosion of noise that broke out following the reveal of her parentage.

 

Apparently, Camp Half-Blood had never had a daughter of Enyo before. Piper had never even heard of the goddess, and she and her father had done pretty extensive research on Greek mythology in preparation for King of Sparta. Honestly, there wasn’t a whole lot of in depth knowledge required to star in an action movie, but Piper had enjoyed the time they spent together. Besides, she’d found it fascinating. Now she wondered if her interest in the subject was a product of her heritage, if she’d somehow known that the pages of a book were the closest she was likely to get to her missing mother.

 

"Well then. I suppose that's settled." Rachel's voice sounded very small, and Piper got the feeling she understood more about what had just happened than anyone else at the camp, possibly including Chiron. "Reyna's here now. She's been claimed, and personally issued a quest by Queen Hera. Now she just needs a prophecy."

 

An anxious rumble passed through the crowd, but they stifled their questions when Rachel closed her eyes. Two of the Apollo campers ran to Rachel's side, and caught her just before she fell. Another kid placed a beat-up bronze stool by the hearth, and the Oracle's attendants lowered her gently into a seated position. Green mist rose from the ground at her feet, swirling around her and smothering the remains of the fire. Piper shivered in the night air, missing her ski jacket. Clearly, her mother did not understand cold. Goddesses probably didn't have to worry about that sort of thing up on Mount Olympus.

 

Rachel opened her eyes, which glowed the same unearthly green as the mist that cloaked her. Emerald smoke poured out of her mouth when she spoke, and her voice sounded thousands of years old - harsh and sibilant.

 

" _Daughter of war, beware the Earth_

_The giants' revenge the seven shall birth_

_The forge and dove shall break the cage_

_And death unleash through Hera's rage_."

 

As soon as she finished speaking, Rachel drew a ragged a breath and collapsed into the waiting arms of her helpers, who carried her away from the ashes.

 

"Does she, um, vomit smoke often?" Piper asked, wincing when she heard how loud her voice sounded in the silent amphitheater.

 

"Are we sure we want to send her?" Drew sniffed loudly. "That was a prophecy. You know, for the big important quest supposedly given to you by a goddess?"

 

Piper snarled. She didn't understand why Drew (oh gods, did she have to think of Drew as her sister now?) was so set against her going on this quest. She could hardly imagine that impeccably dressed Barbie Doll doing anything useful, much less battling giants and rescuing the Queen of Olympus.

 

Of course, Piper couldn't really imagine herself doing those things either.

 

"That's enough, Drew." Silena said, quiet but firm. Now _Silena_ would make a good older sister. Maybe Aphrodite's cabin wouldn't be so bad if she was in charge. "The dove is Aphrodite's symbol, and Queen Hera spoke directly to Piper. She has obviously been chosen for this quest."

 

Drew fumed, but confronting her older sister directly was apparently a line she wasn't willing to cross. She pressed her cherry-colored lips together and gave everyone a look that she probably thought made her look stern and regal in her disapproval. Piper thought she looked like a pouty five-year-old with too much make-up.

 

"Reyna has to be the daughter of war." Percy said, glancing at the Ares campers as if expecting them to argue. Instead, Clarisse gave him a small nod, and he continued, "Which leaves the forge."

 

"Hephaestus." Beckendorf stated, sounding none too pleased about the matter. "As counselor, I volunteer."

 

"Charlie, no! You're still recovering!" Silena blurted. Chiron, who had been about to speak, turned to look at her. She blushed. "Sorry Chiron."

 

The camp director smiled gently. "I agree completely." He addressed Beckendorf and added "I absolutely forbid it. You need rest."

 

"It's me. I'm supposed to go." Piper didn't think she had ever heard Leo sound so sure of himself. He was on his feet, staring towards the center of the amphitheater. His hands were at his sides, for once not fiddling with anything.

 

Some of his siblings protested and tried to pull him into his seat, but none seemed particularly eager to take his place. Beckendorf shook his head. "Leo, it's your first day here. We can't ask you to take on something like this."

 

"You're not asking. I'm volunteering."

 

"It's Reyna's quest, so it's her choice," Percy interrupted, "It sounds like Hera wants Piper to go, but the quest leader gets to choose her companions."

 

Everyone turned back to Reyna, who hadn't spoken since being claimed as Enyo's daughter. Piper wondered if finding out who her mother was had triggered any new memories, and if so, if that was a good thing.

 

"We'll need transportation," Reyna pointed out, temporarily ignoring the question of her companions, "The prophecy says to beware the earth. That leaves air or water travel."

 

"Percy should go!" Someone shouted, "He can control the ocean!"

 

Percy shook his head. "I can't go. I'm not the forge or the dove, and I'm certainly no daughter of war. Besides, Hera's never particularly liked me. Plus she sent cows to chase my girlfriend."

 

"Is there anyone who does like you, Jackson?" Clarisse asked. A few campers giggled, and the tension level dropped slightly. Out of the corner of her eye, Piper caught the Ares counselor giving Percy a crooked smile.

 

"Percy's right though," The daughter of Hermes who was now sitting beside Clarisse said, "The prophecy said death would be unleashed along with Hera. It sounds like a trap to me. Maybe rescuing her isn't what we should be doing."

 

"We can't just ignore the Queen of the Heavens if she's in trouble, Chris." Silena chided.

 

Nyssa, from Hephaestus' cabin, got to her feet. "We should be careful though. Reyna, Hera can be vengeful. She threw our father off of Mount Olympus because he wasn't the son she wanted."

 

"You mean he was ugly." Drew sneered.

 

Nyssa glared at her. "Anyways, what about the rest of the prophecy? It told Reyna to beware the earth, but why? And what giant's revenge? Whoever we're up against, they were strong enough to kidnap a goddess."

 

"It's happened before!" A boy from Demeter's cabin announced, "Like when Hades kidnapped Persephone! Maybe it's another god!"

 

A tall girl with flowered beads braided into her thick hair hurled some sort of fruit at his head. "How many times do I have tell you, Eric? The stories were wrong! Nobody kidnapped Mom!"

 

Chiron stamped his hoof. "Eric, Delaney, if you could could please continue your family feud at a later date?"

 

The two looked chastised. "Yes Chiron", they said in unison.

 

Reyna looked spectacularly unconcerned by the debates going on around her. "We don't have a choice. Hera is the Queen of Olympus, and not rescuing her would be a disaster." She looked uncomfortable for a moment and then added, softer, "And she has my memories."

 

Chiron sighed deeply. "Reyna is right. We have no choice in this.”

 

Reyna nodded in acknowledgement, and turned back to Leo and the Hephaestus campers. "We need a way to travel by air or by sea. We started this together, Leo. If you can get us transportation, you're in."

  
"Right, that..." Leo beamed and turned to Beckendorf. "What's this I hear about you having a pet dragon?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Reyna says in Mark of Athena that Bellona has no Greek counterpart, butt I did a little research and found out that that isn't exactly true. Enyo is considered Bellona's Greek counterpart, but she wasn't as well known as Bellona. Anyway, I figured Chiron would recognize her, even if the rest of the campers didn't  
> Also, shout out to my friend who actually plays a musical saw.  
> Visit me on tumblr: cabinpersephone.tumblr.com :)


	4. Reyna

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back, with a bit of an awkward chapter for you!
> 
> Many thanks to lovehoneybee and minutia-r for beta-ing, and for your wonderful suggestions and feedback (and also for being generally awesome)
> 
> Enjoy!

The thing about memory loss is that no matter what, everything feels like it's happening for the first time. Logically, Reyna knew she must be a teenager, but except for a few nuggets of useless knowledge and uncomfortable feelings of déjà vu, she might as well have been born yesterday. The barbecue they'd had for dinner was her first meal, the sunset the first she'd ever seen, the smoke from the campfire an entirely new smell. In a way, it was amazing. She could imagine the sense of wonder young children must feel, experiencing the world for the first time. Mostly though, it was torture. She knew this wasn't her first day on earth. She must have eaten meals, watched sunsets, smelled wood smoke, but when she searched for the memories there was only blank space. Clovis had told her that her memories weren't just suppressed - they had been stolen. Her entire life wiped away.

 

This time, though... Reyna was pretty sure this particular experience was entirely new. Sure, it was possible she'd approached a beautiful girl in an ancient Greek style robe to ask for her help on a quest to save the Queen of Olympus from vengeful giants in her past life, but the scenario seemed highly unlikely. Piper stood by the embers of the campfire, her pure white gown trailing in the dust. Despite its length, the rippling fabric remained pristine. Specks of dust seemed to skitter away from the hem when Piper moved. Even without the light from the fire, Piper shone with a light that illuminated her magically flawless make-up and made her rich brown curls glow with a warm light. Reyna's stomach twisted with anxiety. She couldn't remember ever feeling so nervous in her life.

 

She gulped, and shoved the knot in her throat down into her stomach. This anxiety was ridiculous. Since waking up on the bus that morning, she'd fought malicious wind spirits, arrived at a camp for heroes, confronted a centaur who seemed to think she was a mortal enemy, and received a quest to save the goddess who had stolen her memories and stop a giant (or giants) from taking their revenge. Not to mention whatever her life had been like before the amnesia, which, considering the presence of the magically shrunken spear in her pocket, she doubted had been anything mundane. Compared to that, talking to a girl in a dress should have been nothing.

 

Even a girl who'd helped her vaporize storm spirits with some pretty wicked elbow strikes.

 

Even a stunning magical makeover recipient and daughter of Aphrodite, who was now glowing.

 

Even if said girl seemed to think she was Reyna's girlfriend.

 

Reyna straightened her spine and strode forward before she could lose her nerve.

 

Piper didn't notice her until there was less than a foot of space between them. Then she turned and met Reyna's eyes.

 

If possible, Aphrodite's blessing had made Piper's kaleidoscope eyes even more mesmerizing. Reyna thought she could stare into them forever and still never see the same combination of colors.

 

Piper laughed awkwardly, and Reyna realized she actually had been staring. She blushed, and fought to keep from turning away completely.

 

"Well...this isn't how I was expecting our field trip to end." Piper said at last.

 

Reyna smiled. "Do you always dress this well for school trips?"

 

Piper made a face and plucked at the cream colored ruffles around her waist. "Never, actually. The last time I wore a dress was to my dad's...well, never mind." She cleared her throat uncomfortably and looked aside.

 

Her dad's what? Reyna wondered why the subject of her father was so painful for Piper. Perhaps they didn't get along? She had been sent to a school for "Troubled Children" after all. Or maybe... A horrible thought struck her. Had Piper been about to say "my dad's funeral"? Was her father dead? Did she think Reyna knew already? The lump in her throat returned at twice its original size. Time to change the subject.

 

"Well, I literally can't  remember the last time I wore a dress, so..." _Oh, nice job there, Reyna._

 

Piper turned back to her and smiled. "I bet you'd look good."

 

Reyna flushed. "You too. I mean...you do. Look good, I mean." Reyna cursed internally. Had she always been this awkward?

 

Piper's cheeks grew slightly darker. "So...you really don't remember? Anything?"

 

Reyna's insides twisted. "Piper...listen..."

 

"I know. I talked to Percy. He explained about the Mist. I know we don't..." Her voice broke. "We aren't..."

 

Reyna wanted to comfort her. She was absolutely certain that she and Piper had never met before that day, and yet part of her wanted to say "we can be.” Part of her was sorry she hadn't let Piper hold her hand on the bus, the same part that wanted to reach out and intertwine their fingers now. A large part of her wished she really was the person Piper believed her to be, and not some mysterious, potentially dangerous intruder with no past and probably no future. But that wasn't fair. Reyna wanted comfort. She wanted to be with Piper, to be the person Piper wanted her to be. She had no idea what - or who - she'd left behind. For all she knew, she and Piper were enemies. The rest of the campers (especially Drew - could she really be Piper's sister?) certainly didn't seem to find her trustworthy, and Chiron acted like her very existence was a danger to his students.

 

She had to admit, as much as she wanted it to, nothing about this place felt right even now. Chiron, the campers, the cabins, the names of their gods, her mother... It wasn't that she didn't believe them. Quite the opposite. In fact, the continued existence of the ancient Greek gods was hardly the most ridiculous explanation for recent events. Reyna knew without a doubt that it was true. Despite it's wrongness, the existence of a camp for the children of gods felt almost familiar - like a dream where she knew some of the details were off, but couldn't figure out exactly which ones. There more to the story than Chiron was sharing with her or his campers, something that hovered on the edge of her fractured mind, something that meant she absolutely did not belong here. She did not belong with Piper.

 

"I'm sorry."

 

Piper took a shaky breath. "It's not your fault. It's not like you asked for this. I mean, you lost your memory! I'm just...silly."

 

"Piper." The other girl looked up and met her eyes. "I don't think you're silly. I think you're brave, and smart, and I'm not really sure what's going on, and I know it's not fair to you, but I'm really glad you're on my side and I hope you'll agree to be my companion on the quest. " The words tumbled out before Reyna could edit them, and she cursed her infernal awkwardness again, hoping it was a side effect of the memory loss and her real personality was impeccably smooth and graceful. Somehow she doubted it.

 

Piper looked slightly dumbstruck. "I... Of course I will. I thought that was decided. I mean, we both had the vision, right?"

 

Reyna released her breath. "Right. Good. That's...that's settled then."

 

"You, me, and Leo on a quest to save a goddess? Sounds like a blast. Do you think he's really going to have us riding a dragon?" She smiled shakily.

 

_You, me, and Leo._ A wave of guilt almost knocked Reyna off her feet. Piper and Leo trusted her as a friend and companion, but what if they were wrong? What if the person they thought they could trust was as false as their memories of her? If Chiron was right, and she was an enemy of the Greek demigods… If this quest set her against them...

 

Reyna’s throat burned. Her hand strayed to the brand on her forearm, and she gripped it as if it could give her strength.

 

"You don't remember what it means, do you?" Piper asked quietly, "The tattoo?"

 

Reyna shook her head. "The sword and torch must be Enyo's symbol, but the rest of it... I should know but I just...I can't remember." Her nails dug into the branded skin.

 

Piper reached out, tentatively brushing the back of Reyna's hand, and felt her release the pressure on her arm. "Maybe your mom will talk to you? Send you a sign or something?"

 

Reyna pressed her lips together in a thin line. "I hope so. She might be the only one who can tell me who I am, besides Hera."

 

"Do you think Chiron knows?" Piper frowned. "The look on his face at the campfire... You know that feeling when you're watching a movie and you know something horrible is going to happen when the character opens the door but you can't stop them from doing it?"

 

Reyna blinked. "...No."

 

Piper squirmed. “Oh. I just think he knows more about you than he’s telling us.”

 

"He does. He knows what my tattoo means. He told me he couldn't explain, because he swore on the River Styx never to talk about it."

 

"The River Styx? In the Underworld? Sounds serious."

 

Reyna nodded. "It is. Swearing by the River Styx is the most binding oath anyone can make, god or mortal. Breaking it...well, there are things worse than death."

 

Piper shuddered. "Worse than... Reyna, how do you know that? Do you remember something?"

 

"Same answer as always. I don't know. All I know is, if Chiron can't tell me who I am because of an oath by the River Styx, something about me must be pretty dangerous." She frowned at the hearth. “The first thing he said to me was that I shouldn’t be here.”

 

“But Percy said this was supposed to be a safe place for everyone like us! You know...demigods.” She said the word slowly, as if it had a new and unusual flavor.

 

“The only safe place. I know.” Reyna paused. _You know that isn’t true._

 

"Maybe that's what Chiron meant", Piper suggested, "Maybe he was just surprised you managed to survive so long on your own?"

 

Reyna shifted uneasily. "I don't think so. Percy did say that this camp is a safe place for all demigods, but Chiron told me it’s a safe place for _Greek_ demigods.”

 

Piper hesitated. "You mean...he thinks you're something else?"

 

"I thought maybe... Well, if the Greek gods are still around, maybe others are too? Maybe Chiron thought I was descended from one of them.”

 

“But you have been claimed,” Piper pointed out, “By a Greek goddess. He has to know you belong here now!”

 

_No, I don’t belong here._ On that matter, she was sure the old centaur was correct. Reyna wanted to scream. There were so many clues, so many little hints laid out in front of her - Chiron's behavior, her mother, her brand, the Latin, Juno/Hera - but she couldn't fit them together. A piece of her brain insisted that the answer was obvious, but every time she tried to focus on it, her thoughts hit a blank wall. There were really very few things she knew for sure, and none of them seemed particularly pleasant.

 

“A Greek goddess who no one recognized but Chiron,” Reyna reminded her, “And the way he looked at me when I was claimed… He definitely believes I’m a threat to his camp.”

 

“I don’t think you’re the threat, Reyna.” Piper’s voice sounded thin and strained, as if she were forcing the words out through a very small straw.

 

Reyna considered her carefully. Beneath the flawless make-up, her face seemed to have lost some color, and her breathing was quick and shallow. “Piper, what’s wrong?”

 

“I… It’s just…” She sighed heavily, and her shoulders slumped as if she were carrying the weight of the sky. “It’s like Leo’s sister said at the campfire. How powerful would something have to be to hold the queen of the gods captive? And everyone thinks it’s a good idea to send us to fight it? We’re a bunch of kids! Doesn’t that seem wrong?

 

Truth be told, Reyna had barely thought about that. Sure, she knew their mission would be dangerous, what with the whole “giants’ revenge” and “death unleashed” thing, but she hadn’t questioned it. Of all the things that had happened since her memory loss, receiving this quest felt the most familiar. Almost...normal. She shook her head, mystified. “What _am_ I?”

 

Piper looked at her blankly. “Huh?”

 

“I was just… What you said, about it being odd to send a bunch of teenagers on a quest to rescue a goddess? I didn’t even think about that.”

 

Piper’s multicolored eyes locked onto Reyna’s, and she smiled gently. “Reyna, as long of a day as it’s been for me, you… Well, you lost your memory. I can’t even imagine what that’s like, but it must be pretty distracting. It’s no surprise if that’s the only thing you can think about.”

 

Reyna chuckled awkwardly. “Thanks, but that’s not it. This quest...it feels like the most normal thing that’s happened to me all day.”

 

That startled a laugh from Piper. “So you think you do this sort of thing often?”

 

“I guess that sounds a bit bizarre, huh?”

 

“Who am I to judge?” She shrugged. “I just got mugged by my own mom.”

 

Laughter bubbled up from the base of Reyna’s throat, and Piper gave her an exaggerated glare.

 

“Seriously! She took my ski jacket!”

 

Reyna’s laughter intensified until she was doubled over, hands braced against her knees to keep her from tumbling into the empty firepit. It felt good to laugh, really laugh, for the first time that day (the first time ever, as far as Reyna knew). Piper kept up the offended act for a few more seconds, and then collapsed into equally raucous giggles. When they finally calmed down enough to breathe normally, they looked up at the same time and found themselves staring into each other’s eyes. Piper’s smile faded, and she quickly looked away and began vigorously rubbing her arms as if to warm them.

 

“Piper?”

 

She took a deep breath. “Sorry. Just...for a second it felt like everything was back to the way it should be, you know?”

 

Reyna cast her eyes to the ground. She didn’t know. Whatever Piper was remembering, whatever fond memories she had of the two of them, it wasn’t real. None of it was real. “Piper, I…”

 

Piper kicked at the ground, stirring up ash and grit that slid right off the hem of her gown without leaving a mark on the fabric. The merriment of a moment before was gone without a trace, and she looked utterly miserable.

 

Reyna faltered. As much as she wanted to comfort Piper, she was afraid that long term, her comfort might do more harm than good.They weren’t together. They never had been, and now they never could be. Not with the memories of this Mist Reyna haunting Piper. She felt like she’d been punched in the gut. “I should...I should go to bed. Chiron said I could stay in the Big House tonight, since Enyo doesn’t have a cabin.”

 

“Yeah.” Piper wouldn’t look at her. “See you in the morning, I guess.”

 

Reyna nodded stiffly. “Good night, Piper.”

 

It felt entirely inadequate, considering their less-than-pleasant circumstances. Reyna’s memories had been stolen, Piper and Leo’s had been damaged, they were leaving in the morning on a probably-deadly quest, and there was nothing she could possibly say to change that.

 

She trudged away from the amphitheater, every step towards the old farmhouse feeling like a step closer to the pain promised by the Oracle’s prophecy.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Visit me on tumblr! 
> 
> http://cabinpersephone.tumblr.com/


	5. Reyna

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been looking forward to this chapter for a while! This is where the story of Reyna at CHB really starts to diverge from the canon story of Jason at CHB.
> 
> There is one thing I would like to clarify before we start. The Chris Rodriguez you see in this chapter, and who will be appearing throughout this story, is the same Chris Rodriguez who appears in canon, not an AU version. She is a trans woman, and came out to the other campers between The Last Olympian and The Lost Hero, which is why Percy didn't know about her gender identity in the first series. I hope to write more of her story (which intersects with Clarisse, Silena, and Beckendorf's) at a later date.
> 
> If anyone has any comments or suggestions, particularly on my handling of Chris' story, I would be happy to hear them. As always, enjoy!

It would have been hard to get to sleep even without the hostility Reyna felt from the Big House. She laid awake for hours, turning the events of the day over and over in her head. For someone who had less than twenty-four hours worth of memories, she had an awful lot to think about. Between the impending quest and the oppressive air of the farmhouse, she was sure she would never get to sleep.

It should have been the quest that was first in her mind. After all, Chiron and Rachel had made it pretty clear that failing to rescue Hera would probably mean the collapse of the Olympian gods and the end of western civilization as they knew it. Instead, she thought about the stormy blue eyes that made up her only real memory of her previous life... And about Piper.

She was sure now that she had only met Piper that morning, but Reyna already felt close to her. She couldn’t help wondering if there really could have been something between them, if only their circumstances were different. If only she really had been just another troubled teen at the Wilderness School, making mischief with Piper and Leo, instead of an amnesiac with a mysterious and probably dangerous past.

She wished she could have been there to witness Leo’s silly pranks and hold hands with Piper under their desks. On the bus, Leo had tried to convince her that she always gave him her desserts and did his chores. She decided she would be happy to do those things (okay, endure those things) if it meant the three of them could be regular old best friends. Somehow, she didn’t believe that her real life - if she ever remembered it at all - would include any friendships like the one she could have had with Piper and Leo. Still, she felt like a traitor for wishing her old life away. She needed to figure out who she really was, which meant facing the fact that she could never be the friend (or girlfriend) that Leo and Piper wanted her to be. She didn’t want to take advantage of their false memories of her, especially if Chiron was right and she really was a danger to them. She did her best to push the two Greek demigods out of her mind, and focus on the one person she knew had been a part of her life.

Unfortunately, Reyna couldn’t even remember that person’s name. She knew they’d been friends, at the very least, and maybe something more. Did she have someone waiting for her? She couldn’t help wondering if, somewhere in the world, there was someone searching for her the way Percy and his friends were searching for Annabeth. Did she have friends? A family? A lover? If she did get her memories back, what would she find?

Finally, when her watch read one-thirty am, she climbed out of the ancient bed (she could have sworn that thing was trying to swallow her), and made her way outside. She’d been warned about Camp Half-Blood’s curfew-enforcing harpies, but at the moment even the  possibility of being eaten by a harpy hall monitor sounded more appealing than spending another second in that old house.

Exploring the camp at night felt like walking through a dream. Despite the season, a light mist blanketed the ground in place of snow. The stars hung so low in the sky that Reyna was sure she could reach out and touch them if she were brave enough. She felt transient - a true outsider in this world-out-of-time.

Eventually, her steps led her to the foot of a hill topped by an enormous pine tree, with something gold and shimmering hanging over one of its branches. As soon as she laid eyes on it, Reyna felt the presence of something powerful. She remembered one of the campers mentioning something about magical barriers that kept monsters from getting into the camp, and knew she was looking at the heart of that protection now. She shivered, and headed for the tree.

Halfway up the hill, Reyna realized she wasn’t the only person breaking curfew. Around the hill and on slightly higher ground, a silhouette stood by the side of a dirt path, facing away from Reyna. A warning bell went off in her head (as if she needed to be reminded not to approach strange people in the middle of the night), but she sensed no threat from the other nighttime wanderer. She changed her trajectory so that she would come up on the figure from the side instead of directly behind them, and stopped ten feet away.

The girl looked up at Reyna’s approach, and her hand strayed to the sword hanging from her waist. Reyna recognized her as a daughter of Hermes who had spoken up at the campfire, one of the campers who had warned against trusting Hera’s quest.

“You’re not a harpy,” the girl stated, fingers still resting on her weapon. “Couldn’t sleep?”

Reyna held her hands empty hands out in front of her. “A lot on my mind.”

The camper studied her for a moment and then relaxed, apparently deciding that Reyna meant no harm. “It’s after curfew, you know.”

“You seem very concerned about that”, Reyna pointed out dryly.

She cracked a smile, and gestured for Reyna to come closer. “Chris Rodriquez.”

“Reyna.” She took Chris’ offered hand.

“Just Reyna?”

“Just Reyna.” Though Juno had given her full name in the vision, she didn’t feel right using it. Not yet, not when she still wasn’t sure what exactly reclaiming her old life would mean.

Chris shrugged. “Fair enough.” She turned away, towards a collection of small, flat stones piled in a roughly triangular shape by the roadside.

It was clear that Chris wanted to be alone. Reyna was about to resume her walk towards the pine tree when Chris spoke again.

“My father is Hermes. Patron of wanderers and travellers. The gods haven’t been very talkative lately, but I’m hoping Hermes is guiding Annabeth, wherever she is, and maybe you too.”

Reyna stopped. “You and Annabeth were close?”

“Not exactly. But she helped find me when I was lost, and now I’m hoping my dad will do the same for her.”

“Lost like...something like this has happened before?” Reyna asked, eagerly. Deep down she knew it was unlikely, but her mind seized the small hope that there was someone at camp who might be able provide some insight into their situation.

Chris sighed. “No. Nothing like this.”

The tone of her voice drew Reyna’s attention to the fact that she was intruding on a very personal moment, and had probably just asked a pretty inappropriate question for someone who was a total stranger to Camp Half-Blood and its residents. She flushed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pried.”

“You’ve heard of the Titan War?”

Startled, Reyna nodded. “Yes.”

“Well, for a while I was on the wrong side.”

Reyna remembered Drew’s words at the campfire - accusing her of being a traitor demigod, claiming they’d “dealt with plenty of those”. She remembered Clarisse jumping out of her seat, ready to pummel the other girl, and Chris intercepting her. “I… I see.”

“The Titan Kronos offered me something,” Chris continued, looking past Reyna as if she hadn’t spoken, “Something he said the gods would never give me. I was angry, and I followed him, and I got...lost. When Clarisse and Annabeth found me, I was barely even human.”

Reyna felt like a voyeur. Why was this stranger trusting her with this? Was it a warning? Was there some hidden meaning that her frazzled mind couldn’t wrap itself around? She didn’t know what to say, so she opened her mouth and voiced the one thought that had followed her throughout the day.

“I don’t understand.”

“Drew thinks you’re a traitor, like I was. I don’t believe that.”

“Um, thanks?” Reyna wondered if Chris was always this odd, or if she just needed sleep even more than Reyna did.

Chris smiled sadly at her. “But I do believe you’re from somewhere else. You have another home, other loyalties.”

Reyna’s heart jumped into her throat, and she stifled a noise that almost certainly would been an embarrassing squeak. “You...you know where I came from? Do you know who I am?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

Reyna’s previously excited heart crashed all the way down to the pit of her stomach.

“But while I was in the Labyrinth, I saw things. I remember…” She frowned, like she was trying  very hard to force her thoughts into some sort of order. Reyna could sympathize. “I remember other demigods. Demigods like you. Some of them fought with us. Some of them fought against us. They had purple shirts, golden weapons…”

For a moment, Reyna forgot how to breathe. Wordless, she held out her forearm.

Chris nodded. “Yeah, they had those. At least...some of them…” Her brow creased heavily. “I can’t quite remember…”

Reyna swallowed hard, and realized with a flare of anger that her eyes were burning with tears. She wasn’t alone. There were others like her out there, and Chris had met them! If she could find them…

“This Labyrinth you were in… Do you mean the one Daedalus built? How can I find it?”

“You can’t, not anymore. It collapsed, two years ago when Daedalus finally died. But if you’re looking for your past… You need to go west.”

Reyna raised her eyebrows, beginning to suspect that Chris was playing with her. “How far west?”

“Far west. I don’t know exactly, but there are places Greek demigods aren’t supposed to go. And I remember wolves. Look for the wolves.”

_Wolves. A whole pack of them, swarming around her, their yellow eyes gleaming as they matched her pace. She couldn’t remember where they were going, but she knew it was home._

She crashed to her knees, and the impact of her bones on the dirt path shuddered through her body. In seconds, Chris was at her side, holding her arm and helping her to her feet. “Reyna? Reyna I’m sorry, what happened?”

Chris’s face was elongated and canine, with gleaming eyes and teeth. Reyna blinked slowly. “I… I remember the wolves.”

Chris nodded, eyes full of empathy, and Reyna wondered if maybe she had more in common with this haunted daughter of Hermes than with anyone else at Camp Half-Blood. “I really am sorry about that. Remembering the Labyrinth, talking about it…” A shiver passed through her body. “It’s not easy. It makes me feel wrong. Like I’m back there, seeing…”

Suddenly, Reyna understood, and a surge of gratitude washed over her. Chris had been more than lost in the Labyrinth. She’d lost her mind there. Yet somehow she was here, telling her story, trying to help Reyna solve her own mysteries. No wonder she had seemed so strange and distant. “Chris… Thank you. This means a lot.”

This time, Chris’ smile was full and genuine, and the change was striking. She seemed ten years younger, and Reyna could see that she had the same smile lines and impish features as some of her siblings from the Hermes cabin. “You’re welcome. I hope it helps.”

“It will. You’re the first one who’s been able to help me remember anything at all.” Reyna said, feeling slightly hopeful for once.

“Then let me suggest one more thing.”

Reyna quirked an eyebrow. “Yes?”

“The Golden Fleece.” Chris pointed up the hill, towards the glimmering pine tree. “It brought a girl back to life once. Maybe it can bring your memories back too.”

 

~

 

Reyna should have been impressed. She knew the Golden Fleece was supposed to be a powerful and ancient item, imbued with potent nature magic and blessed by Poseidon. If the legends were true, it could heal any ailment and bring prosperity to even the most barren land. If anything short of godly intervention could restore Reyna’s stolen memories, the Fleece could.

Instead, she felt utterly ridiculous, like she was trying to commune with the spirit of fancy rugs. She stood with her outstretched palms resting on the Fleece, eyes shut tight, for what felt like hours. Nothing happened. With her eyes closed, the Golden Fleece didn’t feel particularly magical. The wool was rough and wiry, and she was getting cold. She opened one eye, and found that the Fleece wasn’t doing anything particularly interesting.

It did look warm though.

On an impulse, Reyna eased the Fleece off of the branch, hoping nothing disastrous would happen, and wrapped it around her shoulders. Then she sat down and leaned back again the pine tree. The fleece was warm, and comforting, and her eyelids were heavy. She didn’t realize how exhausted she was until it was too late.

She was standing in the center of what looked like a dressing room, with dramatic stage lighting and a full length mirror taking up an entire wall. Reflected in the mirror, she could see a long rack of clothes on the opposite side of the room. Most of the outfits looked like Greek or Roman style robes, but some were more modern. Floor length evening gowns, formal suits, flowing skirts...and a very out of place orange t-shirt, hanging alongside a pair of denim jeans.

In front of Reyna, sitting in a padded floral chair, was a teenage girl with a mass of thick, curly blonde hair. She was wearing an enormous fluffy bathroom, and glaring at the mirror with her disconcertingly grey eyes, as if it were the source of all her problems in the world.

“Ow! That hurts!” The girl complained, as Reyna fought to get a brush through the rat’s nest on the top of her head.

“Well it wouldn’t, if you brushed your hair every once in a while.”

She rolled her eyes. “Excuse me for not packing a comb on my life-threatening que - ow!”

Reyna made a face at her in the mirror, and in doing so noticed her own reflection for the first time. Instead of braided, her hair swung freely around her waist, the deep black adorned with shimmering gold ribbons. She was young, probably not much older than her uncooperative client, and her make-up job was almost as perfect as Piper’s magical makeover. She wore a cream-colored, ruffled dress and golden sandals with straps all the way up to her knees.

She wanted to ask where she was, and what was going on, but when she opened her mouth, the wrong words came out. “So what is this quest you keep talking about, anyways?”

The girl hesitated. “I - I’m not sure I should tell you.”

Young Reyna sighed. “My sister never lets me go anywhere. She says it’s too dangerous for us to leave the island.”

Reyna felt like she’d just been kicked in the chest. _My sister?_

The girl in the chair turned around and looked directly at Reyna. “ _Yes, child. You have a sister_.”

The voice was different - deeper and older, reverberating inside Reyna’s head. The girl’s lips moved, but made all the wrong shapes. Worst of all, her grey eyes were now pupil-less pools of molten gold. Reyna yelped and jumped backwards, and this time her younger self did too, slamming into the rack of clothes.

The voice laughed, and the teenager’s body approached the back wall, a sickly sweet smile on its face. A bolt of pure terror shot through Reyna’s body. She tried to move, but found herself paralyzed.

“ _I have been waiting for you to awaken, my favored daughter. Those who took you away shall never be forgiven._ ”

Reyna’s hands shook uncontrollably, as if remembering some past terror. “Enyo? M-mom?”

The thing laughed again. “ _No, child. Bellona may have mothered you, but she did not raise you. That honor was mine._ ”

Reyna shook her head, eyes fixed on the ground. “I don’t remember you. I don’t remember anything.”

“ _You will. Return to me, Reyna. Only I can help you._ ”

“But Hera - ”

“ _The goddess who stole your memory? Your identity? You would choose her over me?_ ” The voice rose, and the golden eyes flashed red.

Reyna flinched. She was furious with herself for being so afraid, but unable to control the fear.  She needed to know more. Who was this girl, and who was the voice speaking through her? Were they people from her past? “I don’t know who you are. How would I find you, if I even wanted to?”

“ _Follow the winds, child. They will lead you to me. Only I can save you now, Reyna._ ”

“Reyna?”

“Reyna? Reyna! Are you alright?”

She blinked and rubbed her eyes. She was still slumped against the pine tree, but her shoulders were bare. Chris knelt beside her, holding the Golden Fleece in one hand and Reyna’s wrist in the other, as if she’d been looking for a pulse.

“Chris? What happened?”

“I don’t know. You’d been up here a long time, so I came to check on you, and you looked...well, awful. The Fleece isn’t supposed to make people sick!” She studied Reyna carefully. “Did it work? Did you remember anything?”

Reyna rubbed her temples. “I saw something. It might have been a memory, but… I’m not sure. There was a girl, and then a voice, and it was talking to me…” She trailed off as a thought occurred to her. “Chris, what does Annabeth look like?”

“Um, she’s tall, blonde, curly hair…”

“Grey eyes?”

“Yes. Why? Did you see her?” Chris gripped her wrist tighter in excitement, “Do you know where she was?”

“I think it was her, yes. But she was young, and so was I… I think we may have met, years ago, and that’s what I saw.”

Chris frowned. “I don’t know when you would have. Annabeth came to camp when she was seven. Unless you knew each other before then…”

Reyna shook her head. “I don’t think so. We weren’t that young, and she said she was on a quest. Maybe a quest for the camp?”

Chris shrugged, and helped Reyna up. “Could be, but I was...well, I was away for a while. She’s had a lot of quests, and I don’t know much about most of them.”

Reyna watched Chris hang the Fleece back over the pine branch, and thought the other girl sounded a bit guilty about something. “She found you on one of them, though? When you were in the Labyrinth?”

“Yes. And…” Chris hesitated, “Her first quest was to find Zeus’ Master Bolt, but a couple years after that, she helped bring the Golden Fleece back here. She got injured, and it healed her.”

“So… you think it might have remembered her, somehow? And that’s why I saw her?”

Chris sighed. “It sounds a bit absurd, doesn’t it?”

Reyna chuckled. “Seems like anything’s possible here.”

“Speaking of which, we need to get you back to the Big House before the harpies find us. The last thing you need is to be seen wandering around at night with a known traitor.” Chris laughed, but her eyes were dark and sad.

Reyna considered bringing up the voice that had possessed Annabeth in her dream, but somehow that felt wrong. Chris was apparently one of the only campers who trusted her, and whatever else it might be, Reyna was pretty sure that voice was not trustworthy. And if she had some connection to it… No, she needed more information before she could decide what to do.

_Follow the winds…_

Maybe the voice had helped her after all. If she could find out where the venti came from, and learn the identity of their mistress, maybe it would lead her to whoever had kidnapped Hera. And if it had something to do with the presence from her dream… Well, she would face that when she came to it.

“Chris…”

“Yeah?”

“Just...thank you. For helping, and for coming to find me.”

Chris smiled, and this time the corners of her eyes crinkled. “You’re welcome. Now come on, get some rest. You have a goddess to save.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to minutia-r and lovehoneybee for their editing and advice! 
> 
> Visit me on tumblr: cabinpersephone.tumblr.com


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